KATHMANDU: Nepal police said on Wednesday they had arrested a spiritual leader whose followers believe him to be a reincarnation of Buddha over allegations of disappearances and rape at his ashrams.

Ram Bahadur Bomjan, known as `Buddha Boy` among devotees, became famous as a teenager after followers said he could meditate motionless for months without water, food or sleep.

The 33-year-old guru has a devout following but has long been accused of physically and sexually assaulting his followers, and had been hiding from authorities for several years. `He was arrested after absconding for several years,` police spokesman Kuber Kadayat said.

Police apprehended Bomjan inKathmandu on a warrant issued for his alleged rape of a minor at an ashram in Sarlahi, a district south of the capital.

They said he was caught with bundles of cash amounting to 30 million Nepali rupees and another $22,500 in foreign currency.

Accusations of abuse and misconduct against Bomjan stretch back more than a decade. Dozens of assault complaints were filed against Bomjan in 2010. He said he beat the victims because they disturbed his meditation. An 18-year-old nun accused the guru of raping her at a monastery in 2018.

Police opened another investigation against him the following year after family members reported the disappearance of four of his devotees from one of his ashrams.-AFP